Lambert coy on Norwich future

Norwich City manager Paul Lambert refused to be drawn on questions about his future with the Premier League outfit.

Norwich capped off their first season back in the top flight with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, handing them a 12th place finish.

Lambert has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road after his success with Norwich, but refused to address the issue after their final win of the season.

When asked if he saw himself at the club at the start of next season, Lambert paused before replying: “It’s a hard one to answer. I’ve got a contract here. I’ll see what happens and think about what we’ve achieved.

“I don’t worry about myself to be honest, I just worry about the team.

“Speculation like that doesn’t bother me, I just get on with it. I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Lambert admitted his team had exceeded all of the targets he had set at the beginning of the season, when the Scot had been concerned solely with keeping the Canaries in the Premier League.

“I thought we carried on from last week,” Lambert said. “We were terrific all game and deserved to win. It was a fitting way to end an incredible season.

“The target was always to stay in the league. We surpassed that long ago. It’s been unbelievable, what’s happened here – it’s never easy to get one year of success but we’ve had three.

“They’ve exceeded my targets by miles. It speaks volumes to their character.”

McLeish, meanwhile, admitted that Villa’s performance on Sunday and season as a whole had been disappointing, but vowed to win over the club’s supporters.

“It was an extremely flat performance,” McLeish said. “Norwich were sprightly and sharp and we were the opposite.

“Arguably some of the teams that have been relegated were stronger than us in terms of their overall squad. But that was an unacceptable performance.

“It’s been a hell of a challenge. I’ve done my utmost, I’ve tried to think left-field when we needed results. In the end we got over the line.

“It was a big test for me as a manager. People will not see it as a glorious season but I had to pull out all of the stops. It’s been as tough as it’s ever been.

“I can totally understand the fans’ frustration. I carry the can for their performances. Unfortunately I don’t tell players to misplace a 10 yard pass. I have to turn the opinion around. I’ll do my best.”